


The winged victory of Samothrace and Karl Almasen

by cincave



Category: Gaya Sa Pelikula (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28193157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cincave/pseuds/cincave
Summary: Karl and Vlad visit the Louvre. They see Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss and talk about it.
Relationships: Karl Frederick Almasen/Jose Vladimir Austria
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	The winged victory of Samothrace and Karl Almasen

You never thought that you would get here with Karl: wandering the beautiful halls of the Louvre, looking at all the beauty that the world has to offer. 

Finally, he is here with you. Finally, he is with you.

Whatever colors that the paintings and art that this hallowed establishment contains, they are all momentarily made so much brighter now that he is walking with you.

_Luh, Vlad. Di ko gets,_ he starts.

_Ang alin?_ you ask.

_Yung statue._

He is, of course, referring to the statue of Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss that you are both standing in front of. You've always loved this piece from both a technical point of view and because you've always loved Greek mythology.

_Anong meron? Maganda siya pero meron pa ba? Parang ang bobo ko naman,_ he continues.

You look at him and bump your shoulder into him, annoyed that he would even think that when he is so, so brilliant. _Hey, Arki, no, don't say that. You're not bobo. Maybe, you just haven't been taught how to appreciate art._

He looks at you, one eyebrow raised and then he smirks that damnable smirk of challenge. 

_Sige nga. Turuan moko._

You've never been one to back down from a challenge, especially not from him. There is something about Karl that always inspires you to fly higher, run faster, be brighter and be stronger. Like you want to show off all of your accomplishments and lay them all down at his feet and tell him that they are all for him.

You don't say any of this. Instead, you shake your head, always eager to show off.

_Well, there really is no one way to appreciate art. You can appreciate it from a technical point of view. Canova, the sculptor, used mostly just one large block of marble to sculpt. So, hindi siya pwede magkamali. Can you imagine the skill it took, Arki? It's like an hour long single take where you can't mess up any camera angles._

You look at him to see if he's listening and his eyebrows furrow as if annoyed that you stopped. _O tapos?_ he urges.

You shake your head, _well, you can also appreciate what it signifies. Did you ever read the story of Cupid and Pysche in Greek mythology?_

He shakes his head. _Hinde eh. Nagka-sakit ako nung ci-nover siya sa school. So, special lessons ako nun. Bakit? Anong nangyari sa kanila?_

_Well, Arki, in Greek mythology, they say Psyche was even more beautiful than Aphrodite. Eh alam mo naman yung mga gods and goddess diba? They're super kupal. So, Aphrodite sends her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with a monster-_

_Buhay na pala si Aldous nun?_

_Oh my god, shut up, Arki. Stop being mean to my ex,_ you say. But secretly, it fills you with joy at how much he hates your douchebag ex. You suspect that it is not as secret as you might like it to be and that it is extremely apparent on your face. _Anyway, Cupid fucks up and falls in love with Psyche instead. He takes her to his home and only appears to her under the cover of darkness._

_Luh, stalker. Ang problematic._

_No, shut up. It's sort of romantic. Stop crushing high school Vlad's hopeless romanticism!_

_Sige na nga. Para kay high school Vlad._

_Okay. Good. Anyway, one day Psyche doubts everything and during one visit, she lights a candle to see Cupid's face. I think she spills wax or something but nagising si Cupid and he fled._

_Oh,_ he says. _Parang ako._

_What?_

He looks at you, eyes piercing. _Minahal_. _Binigyan lahat. Hindi kinaya._

Then he looks away as if unable to bear it. _N_ _anakit. Iniwan. Hindi naghabol._

What does one say to that? What does one say about old hurts and old grievances being laid out in the stunning sunlight through the glass roof of the Louvre?

Nothing, of course. 

There is silence and old pain much like that night.

But then, there is something new this time. Because, this time, he takes your hand. Without hesitation, without fear, he takes your hand and brings it to his lips.

Under one of the most enduring and classic sculptures to depict the tenderness of love, he kisses your hand. _Pero hinabol niya si Cupid diba, Vlad? Hinabol niya. Hinanap niya. Nagpakatatag si Psyche. Kahit anong hirap, tiniis niya. Ginawa niya. Para lang mahanap si Cupid, diba?_

You look at his beautiful face. God, how is it that you have woken to his face for hundreds of mornings and yet, here he is, still taking your breath away every single time. _You weren't absent during Greek mythology, were you?_

He closes his eyes and shakes his head. _Gusto ko kasing naririnig boses mo,_ he says. 

_So, you know how their story ends,_ you say.

_Oo. Lumaban si Psyche. Lumaban siya, Vlad. Di niya matiis na wala sa mundo niya si Cupid._

Then he reaches out and brings your foreheads together and kisses your hand again. _Hanggang sa pinagtagpo uli sila. Tapos nagmahalan ulit sila, diba?_

_Yeah_ , you whisper into the air between you. _They get married and live together forever._

_Ang ganda ng ending nila, Vlad. Gusto ko ganun tayo._

_No, Arki,_ you say, _ours will be better._


End file.
